Last night, I was listening to Active Child, trying to decide which cut I’d include with this post announcing their tour.

The soundscape was redolent with soft pop/eighties alterna-dance reference points. Mainstreaming alert! My wife’s nose reflexively wrinkles.

“You’re full of surprises,” said Kay. “Just when I think I’ve got your musical preferences sussed, you play something else that surprises me.”

Then she hears the next track I play from Active Child. “Oh, this is cool. I get it now. They’ve got more diverse musical tastes than I realized at first.”

I know I’m partial, but she’s so smart. Active Child songwriter Pat Grossi’s interests may encompass some radio-friendly fare that isn’t ordinarily my cup of tea, but he treats its elements far better than ordinary artists. And when he goes out on a limb, picks up his harp, and looks down more unusual pathways, I’m consistently engaged. One imagines that they’ll be doing quite a bit of the latter when they support M83 on tour (dates below).

You Are All I See is out now via Vagrant.